Thinking of getting my first dog

[dbroe333]

This will be our first gundog and im looking at getting a pointer.

Firstly i was thinking of buying a trained 2,3 or 4 year old. As im not sure would i train it right. Do you think it is ok to buy a trained dog.

Also i do all rough shooting in ireland along bushes and forestery are pointers any use for this i would be shooting mostly woodcock and pheasant are they ok for this.

Finally how would i know what commands have been thought and should i trial it.

[pegleg31]

if you buy a trained dog make sure you have regular lessons with a trainer or your dog will become untrained very quickly.they soon learn to take the pee if your not 100% on top of them .and with a trained dog costing you alot more than a pup it would be a shame to see it go to waste

 

all the best

 

russ

[vampire]

Have you owned your own dog before if not i wouldnt advise you getting a trained dog because its you that needs training as much as the dog,be the same as driving a car blindfolded

[Greenhunter]

By the sound of it you DO NOT want a pointer. If well trained they will work at a distance

from you and should wait till you get in position ready for the flush on command.

This is great on open fields or moorland but not so good if in cover as it can be difficult to find the dog.

GSP's are or can be strong-headed(mine is!)so not for a first timer IMHO.

 

I would suggest a Lab or Cocker spaniel. They work close to you and will give you a clue when there is game about, you learn to read the behavioral signs.

 

I also suggest you read up as much as possible and find a local breeder/trainer who would be prepared to train you to handle the dog or at least offer you some support.

 

Since this will be your first dog I think a ready trained bitch(they tend to be more biddable IMO) would be the way forward. Training a puppy can be difficult if you are learning too.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

 

GH

[Dirty Harry]

A pointer is an English pointerand they are only used for hunting and pointing on moors and open ground. No good for rough shooting as they don't retrieve. It's not what they are bread for.

If you mean a HPR type pointer then they are very good for rough shooting.

My first Gundog is a GWP and I am really please with how he has turned out. He is by no means perfect but he hunts very well, will hold a point and retrieve game.

Not being rude but it sounds like you don't have much of an idea about dogs or training so buy a good book and get some training.

I train with 2 people and we are all first timers with HPR's so I would not discount them because you are new to it.

[utectok]

I hear pointers are hard work as first dogs. As many here know I got a trained cocker as my first dog and she has slipped a bit since I got her but on the whole it's been brilliant fun and she is still regarded as the best trained dog on my shoot by many! I belive cockers were bread for woodock originally so might be good for you? Penny is great on pheasants pigeon goose woodcock and sits ok in the hide too.

[kent]

Actually a HPR would be a good choice, but it takes a lot to handle them well and for a fully trained and trusted GWP etc it will cost big. seriously for this type of dog as a puppy your looking at about double the cost of a lab pup, given they take two to three times as long to train as a lab you could be loking at real serious dosh more than double a well trained lab price for sure. Don't buy without an extended trail and training days for you as a handler, you simply don't see any up for sale though fully solid on the job so you might have to pursaude a pro its worthwhile selling.

Although they are meant to range out they can get the hang of hunting closer in cover, indeed many deer dogs hunt just a length infront when you think of it, if the cover is real thick and you can't see the point though you might be better with a spaniel as your expensive fully trained pointer will soon just start to work like one as few will hold indefinatly- you might get a 30 second point out of my GWP at most! and if i had no gun with me he would certainly get staight in after a slight pause but it aint realy what i use him for.

[al4x]

as Kent and Dirty Harry say a decent HPR would do exactly what you want on that sort of ground, mine I need to do more work on retrieving as she will find shot game and occasionally retrieve but not always, but she has just done her first seasons beating and had a lovely day shooting over her on beaters day on saturday. On our shoot she sees a lot of birds and most are fairly flighty so points don't tend to be for long as the birds will break early but if one sits tight she will just stay with it till a beater puts it up. They are very hard work though and nothing I've seen works like one, when the spaniels had had enough on saturday she was up for it and didn't want to stop after a good 6 hours working. No idea on getting a trained one most seem to be trained more by luck than judgement but as a rough shooting dog you won't beat a GWP. One thing to bear in mind is you have the very large type that are really hard work and there is a strain that is a bit more sensible and a fair bit smaller, I have the latter and am very glad I have as she is a corker both as a house dog and a working dog. Big enough to handle foxes but also quiet and patient enough to sit on the back seat of the truck while lamping and you never know she is there.

[dbroe333]

I am in ireland and will be hunting mostly hedges and forestry for woodcock with a group of about 3 or 4 so would a springer be better over the pointer espically for a first dog

Edited January 31, 2011 by dbroe333

[al4x]

not much in it IMHO, the springer will be ready earlier but for rough shooting over them it is very hard to beat a pointer simply because if you get it right you will have more chances at shots as the birds will be flushed close to you when you are ready. W

[cundyno1]

not much in it IMHO, the springer will be ready earlier but for rough shooting over them it is very hard to beat a pointer simply because if you get it right you will have more chances at shots as the birds will be flushed close to you when you are ready. W

 

IMHO think it's best to get a puppy and train it, that way you learn together. I've got a springador cross between a lab and and a springer. He is now 18 months old and took him beating for the first time this year at the start of the season and he was all over the place and so was I to be honest didnt really know what to do. But from watching and learning from others on the drives, at the end of the season he was as good as if not better than most of the other gun dogs on out beating days. He's a real pleasure to take out and its so rewarding to think we got to this point together with all the hard work we put in.

 

James

[GW80]

Personally mate i'd get yourself a springer, If i was starting again with dogs i'd go for a bitch, i was lucky with my first springer dog and he almost trained himself, but have had springer dogs since if being honest were just to hot (mad) for me to handle. We have 2 pointers in the beating line and to be honest are lost working cover and are more suited to moors and open ground imo! Nothing wrong with buying a trained dog either just make sure the correct controls are given to you!!